Councillor arrested for assaulting Rose Hall Mayor

…says it was Mayor who assaulted him

A councillor attached to the Rose Hall Town’s municipality has been arrested for allegedly assaulting the Mayor, Dave Budhu, on Sunday.
The incident reportedly took place at the Hampshire Civic Clinic Centre following an outreach by Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall.
Police, in a release, said that after a meeting, the Councillor and the Mayor were in the compound when a heated argument erupted between them over cleaning of a Williamsburg Street. According to the Police, the Councillor became annoyed and started to abuse the Mayor, calling him a “waste man”, and allegedly dealt him a cuff behind his neck.

The matter was reported at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, and the Mayor was escorted to the Port Mourant Hospital, where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty, treated and sent away.
The Councillor was arrested and placed in custody pending charges.
When this publication reached Mayor Budhu for a comment, he declined. This publication also reached out to the Councillor, Vickram Shrikison, who said he raised his concerns with a senior person about the municipality not removing solid waste from his community nor clearing the drains.
He explained that he had then gone outside of the building in the company of a family member, and observed the person with whom he had raised his concerns was in a heated conversation with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. However, he could not tell what was being said.
“After the conversation, me and a…girl were standing out of the building and the three of them come to we, and the Mayor say in a high voice, ‘How you say that garbage not being picked up in your street?’”
He claimed that it was the Mayor who pushed him, causing him to stumble backwards.

“He tell me that I am a waste, and then a lil argument and then we finish there.”
Shrikison said he left and went home.
“When I come and park my motorbike, he and the Deputy Mayor come through the street, so when they pass me, I called the Deputy Mayor and I bring out the bucket with the garbage…”
Shrikison said three Police officers subsequently came to him home and arrested him for assaulting the Mayor.
“They carry me and lock me up in the lock-ups, and which the Mayor deh out,” Shrikison said.
Late last month, Mayor Budhu was also involved in another incident. He had reported that, while in the company of others, he was offloading tools from a truck when a 55-year-old man approached him on a bicycle and started to abuse him, and then threatened to kill him while brandishing a knife that he drew from the waist of his pants. Budhu said he became fearful for his life, and ran to safety in the market and summoned the Police.
The man was subsequently charged, and after apologising to the Mayor, He was warned by the magistrate not to indulged in such behaviour, and the case was dismissed. (G4)